Microsoft Expands Office Compatible 95 Program and Highlights Office Products on Cable TV

Strategic Insights -

Microsoft's Office Compatible 95 program has seen significant growth, with over 240 companies enrolling and contributing more than 265 products. The program provides technical information to create products that look and work like Microsoft Office, the world's most popular suite of software applications. The increased participation can be attributed to the success of suite applications in the marketplace, the excitement surrounding the Windows 95 operating system, and the widespread acceptance of Office as the user interface of choice. Microsoft attributes the popularity of the program to its technology and marketing benefits, which make it easier for customers to learn, use, and share information quickly among the products.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Office Compatible 95 program has seen a significant increase in participation, with over 240 companies enrolling and contributing more than 265 products.
  • The program provides technical information to create products that look and work like Microsoft Office, including 32-bit applications.
  • The growth can be attributed to the success of suite applications in the marketplace, the excitement surrounding the Windows 95 operating system, and the widespread acceptance of Office as the user interface of choice.
  • Microsoft attributes the popularity of the program to its technology and marketing benefits, which make it easier for customers to learn, use, and share information quickly among the products.
  • The program is open to all companies that create software products, including 3D/Eye Inc., Attachmate Corp., Autodesk Inc., Avery Dennison, Intergraph Corp., Micrografx Inc., Microsoft Publisher, Mobileware Corp., Siebel Systems Inc., Software Publishing Corp., Village Software, and Visio Corp.
  • Microsoft Access for Windows 95 will be featured on an upcoming cable TV show, highlighting its new features, including the Database Wizard, Performance Analyzer Wizard, Table Analyzer Wizard, and Briefcase Replication.
  • The show will also highlight the new features in Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 95, such as AutoClipArt, enhanced multimedia elements, the Pack and Go Wizard, and Meeting Minder.
  • The show will be rebroadcast on cable TV on Oct. 19 and Dec. 14 at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Pacific time.
  • The Microsoft Office 95 Professional Developer Round Table Forum on CompuServe will be held on Oct. 18 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. PDT, providing users with an opportunity to talk directly to the development and design leads for the latest versions of Microsoft Office Professional for Windows 95 applications.
  • The forum will feature discussions on the technology, development efforts, and design philosophy behind the products, including the participation of Steve Sinofsky, Heikke Kanerva, Adrian Klein, Ed Fries, Duane Campbell, Chris Payne, Roz Ho, and Ian Ferrel.

Statistics:

  • Over 240 companies have enrolled in the Office Compatible 95 program.
  • More than 265 products have been contributed to the program.
  • 165 of these products are scheduled to be 32-bit applications.
  • Microsoft Access for Windows 95 has a growing installed base of over 5 million users.
  • The show will be rebroadcast on cable TV on Oct. 19 and Dec. 14 at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Pacific time.

Sources:

  • Microsoft Corporation press release, Oct. 18, 1995.
  • Microsoft Corporation press release, Oct. 18, 1995.
  • Microsoft Corporation press release, Oct. 18, 1995.